Minibus replacement proram halted
Minibus replacement proram halted
JAKARTA (JP): The one-year-old plan to phase out Metro Mini and Kopaja minibuses from the city's main thoroughfares faces an uncertain future as the administration and the minibus companies have yet to reach a final agreement.
Deputy Governor for Administration and Development affairs Tb. M. Rais said over the weekend that his office has ordered the City Land Transportation Control Agency to settle the matter with PT Metro Mini and Kopaja.
"I have told the agency to inquire why the program has not been implemented yet and why the agency has not yet reported its result," he said.
Last year the city administration and the companies reached an agreement that the companies would replace two minibuses with one large bus.
The agreement stated that in the first stage of the project the administration would provide 100 large buses for the deal. Metro Mini and Kopaja were given priority to buy the large buses to replace their fleets.
But it did not say clearly whether or not the administration would give the replaced minibuses permits to operate in other areas.
One year on, the business development manager of PT Metro Mini, Johanes Damanik, said the city administration and the companies had different perceptions of the agreement's contents.
He said that his company, in addition to Kopaja, would not implement the agreement because the administration did not want to give new operation permits to the minibuses which were replaced by the new large buses.
"We want the old minibuses to be given new permits to operate in other areas. We don't oppose the plan nor want to ruin the agreement but please don't scrap our fleets from operating because there are many routes in the city which still need transportation services," Johanes said.
PT Metro Mini, which has a total of about 2,500 buses, had planned to replace its fleets operating on the Tanah Abang-Pasar Minggu route. Kopaja, with its 1,500 buses, had planned to phase out all fleets traveling between Ragunan and Tanah Abang.
He said that the minibuses due to be replaced were still in good condition, and it would be better if they were given permits to serve other routes, especially on the city's outskirts.
Deputy Governor Tb. M Rais said over the weekend that the program is aimed at reducing the number of public buses on the streets. The policy is expected to ease traffic congestion and to gradually eliminate minibuses whose drivers are notorious for being reckless.
"We understand that minibuses are still needed in the city, especially in areas with small streets," he said. He did not give any response to Johanes's statements.
He said the administration would collect more information about the matter before making a final decision. (yns)